Star-Slaying Swordsman
Chapter 22
* * * * *
“…I guess I left without permission after all.”
However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that if I wasn’t planning to go to the capital, the option of leaving home without permission was more convenient for me than anything else.
Therefore—
“But oh well— It can’t be helped.”
Saying so, I selfishly affirmed my own action.
Still, there was a possibility that my father might come after me in a great panic if I really left the house safely, let alone without permission, so I decided to leave a note saying that I had no intention of dying until I slew the stars.
Perhaps it was already safe to say that this had eliminated any chance of my father coming after me.
The last thing I needed was not being able to Slay the Stars.
And he knewbetter than anyone that no matter what he said, I wouldn’t budge.
“…I’m going to have to put this topic behind me for now and just think about getting to Minaura.”
I took out the map I had shoved in the back of my pocket and checked its details.
After finishing the letter, I left the house carrying the luggage I had prepared in advance.
The surroundings have not yet broken out of the night scene, having two more hours before the sunrise.
Night is the world of monsters.
And now that I’ve left, I need to keep walking until the sun comes up.
After all the things I declared, I can’t afford to be killed by monsters on the way.
“If I hurry, it’d take me probably a week.”
Thanks to the map showing the village where I live and the small lakes in the area, I could determine the approximate distance it’d take for me to reach Minaura.
It’d take one week, indeed.
“…I need to figure out how far I can go in one day.”
Even though there was still time before the full moon, I couldn’t take my time.
Fortunately, there were several landmarks on the map on the way to Minaura.
And using them as a guide, the only thing to do now was to continue onward.
* * * * *
Human life is relatively light in this world.
Friends and family members who meet, connect with each other, and eat from the same pot might end up being involved in some kind of tragedy and die the next day.
—No matter where one lived, that was indeed the case.
Such words came out of our mouths as if they were a matter of fact in this world.
It was a sad event, but it was not that unusual.
In this world where monsters, beings that attack people, existed, it was not an unusual tragedy.
And because human life was so light, there were many people who engaged in violent acts.
There were those who thought that if there was something they wanted, they could just kill and take it.
Yes, for example— bandits.
“That’s amazing…”
I found myself saying words of admiration.
It had been several hours since I left the house unannounced, and it was already bright outside.
The hot sunlight was pouring down from above as if it would never end.
As I made my way to Minaura, I saw a scene in front of my eyes that I honestly and frankly had to admit was amazing.
It was the sight of a young man who was standing up against several bandits.
He was probably not much older than me, but his skillful stance was reminiscent of a swordsman who had fought many battles.
“…I’m in a hurry. Won’t you move it?”
The young man’s eyes narrowed lazily, with his sword in its sheath in one hand and his words in the other.
In front of him were… eight bandits.
…What a poor excuse.
The first thing that came to mind was that the young man didn’t seem to be in any hurry at all.
Rather than that, he looked like a man with a tired expression on his face who couldn’t be bothered with anything.
However, even I, who had not actually faced him in real combat, was made to understand that what he said was not to attempt to escape the bind, let alone a hollow bluff.
It was simply to avoid actually fighting them.
However, they were more than enough to judge his ability.
“…I’m thinking of helping him out, but…”
It was pretty obvious which of the two parties was the evil one.
That’s why I thought that I should rush and help the young man who was surrounded, but that thought had been completely erased by their previous exchange.
…I’d probably just get in his way.
Or so I pondered as I hid behind a tree.
***
***
“I’ll let you guys off the hook the first time, but let me warn you all. If you interfere any further, I’ll have to take some appropriate measures.”
“Hey hey hey, aren’t you quite the talker? …Don’t think that you could pull off a fluke on us the second time.”
Contemptuous words directed at the young man.
However, the young man didn’t pay any attention to them.
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He only stared at the bandits with loathsome eyes, as if exasperated.
He let out a sigh.
Understanding that the other party had no intention of budging, the young man murmured.
“Haaah… Seems like today is a bad day for some reason.”
The young man complained about the trouble he was going through, but his eyes were those of a hunter on the prowl.
He kept his piercing eyes fixed on his enemies, as if he was a bird of prey.
Witnessing such a scene, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would be able to overcome him if we were to face each other.
I decided that it would probably be impossible, and so I burst out laughing.
The moment I left the village, this was what greeted me.
As per Viera Islebark, the world was so big, and there were many opportunities that could raise one’s standing.
So I just had to laugh about it.
“…You’re the ones that came and picked a fight so, obviously, I’m not accepting any complaints later.”
With graceful movements, the young man pulled the sword from the sheath in his hand, and dropped it to the ground.
A calm and composed figure reflected in my vision.
This told me with certainty that the sword in his hand was not just for show.
But, I wasn’t so sure about it.
Despite his bold words, for some reason, the young man took a step back with his sword poised in the air.
His action could be seen as an attempt to flee from the situation.
The bandits, seeing this, were convinced that he was bluffing, and with a gleam in their eyes, they kicked up the earth and began to rush toward him.
(…He’s good.)
Thanks to the side view, I was able to judge the situation correctly.
That young man was neither cowardly nor pretentious—
He was fishing for their action.
He wanted the bandits to rush to him with joy.
So he stepped back as if he had been terrified.
If that was the case— the end was already in sight.
As if to confirm that my hunch was not mistaken—
FWOOSH!
A powerful breeze from a sword shook my eardrums, and soon after, a bright red liquid flew into the air.
In an instant, the smell of death filled my senses, and my sweat glands broke out in a flash at the sight of it.
“……Huh?”
Said by a wild voice.
It was the voice of the bandit who had been cut down.
He didn’t know what happened, and his voice was leaking out as if to say so.
Looking at his own torso, which had been separated, he couldn’t even give a desperate cry, and his voice faded away with a heavy thud.
“Next.”
He turned his sword, and made another heavy swinging sound, as if he was brushing away rain from an umbrella.
Then, one of the bandits, who had dismissed the movement as an opening, entered the gap and tried to slice through, but…
“This isn’t an opening. It was purposeful.”
The bandit absorbed a sharp right leg blow as he got kicked like a ball, his face contorted in pain as his bones creaked and his eyes bulged out, bouncing twice, three times on the ground.
He was sent flying and landed at an angular rock, and the unpleasant sound of something crushing and breaking filled my ears.
That only left six bandits.
Or so I thought, as at the same moment, blood splashed out of the bodies of the remaining five.
(What did he do just now…?!)
…I felt a slight sense of discomfort.
It was as if he was creating a sword.
And if there was a source, it was probably “magic”.
…At any rate, with the exception of one bandit in front of the young man, everyone was submerged in their own blood that painted the earth in a gruesome manner.
It was so horrifically done that I could not help but admire it.
“W-Wait!!! This is just a misunderstanding!!! I was just asked by them to—!!!”
“I told you I wouldn’t accept any complaints later.”
The bandit, now realizing that the young man in front of him was a monster beyond his control, began to frantically string together words and beg for his life.
However, the young man didn’t seem to listen at all, and his response— a cold, side-splitting blow.
“Haaah…”
Once again, there came the blood swinging motion.
The young man let out a deep sigh as he sheathed his sword in the scabbard he had dropped on the ground.
“So how long are you going to hide over there?”
I was confused for a second.
I had been hiding in the shade of a tree for a long time, and the words of dismay were directed at me.
Well, I should say that this was a given.
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It seemed that no matter how much of an irresistible scene was happening, peeping in on someone was not going to end without incident.
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